Resonator for stringed instrument

ABSTRACT

A resonator panel is supported in the sound box of a violin, and has a pair of discs on opposite sides of the sound post which resonate in response to resonance of the belly and the back of the sound box.

United States Patent Tansky [54] RESONATOR FOR STRINGED INSTRUMENT [72] Inventor: Michael Tansky, 541 Olive Ave., Long Beach, Calif. 90812 [22] Filed: May 15, 1969 [21] Appl.No.: 825,019

' 52 use: ..:....s4/27s, 84/294 [51] Int. Cl. ..Gl0d 1/02 [58] Field ofSearch ..84/274. 275, 277, 278, 270,

[5 6] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,523,479 8/1970 Ludwig ..84/2 74 [4 1 July 25, 1972 483,897 10/1892 Burgner ..84/294 1,719,680 7/1929 Warner ..84/29l FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLlCATIONS 271,064 3/1914 Germany ..84/294 Primary Examiner--Richard B. Wilkinson Assistant Examiner-Lawrence R. Franklin AnorneyMcG1ynn, Reising, Milton & Ethington [57] ABSTRACT A resonator panel is supported in the sound box of a violin, and has a pair of discs on opposite sides of the sound post which resonate in response to resonance of the belly and the back of the sound box.

10 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PMMEBJM m2 3.678.794

INVENTOR MICHAEL TANSKY RESONATOR FOR STRINGED INSTRUIVIENT BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field Of The Invention This invention relates to stringed musical instruments, and more specifically to an improved resonator for such instruments.

2. Description Of The Prior Art Stringed instruments such as violins, pianos, and the like, have a sound box or board which resonates with the vibration of the strings. For instance, the sound box of a violin has a pair of walls which are referred to as its belly and its back. A bridge, mounted on the belly, connects the strings to the belly so that it resonates in accordance with string motion; and a sound post connects the belly to the back in such a manner that they resonate together. As is well known, the quality of the musical tones produced by the instrument depends upon the manner in which the belly and the back resonate.

Although the purpose of the sound post is to connect the belly to the back such that the two walls vibrate in unison, it is well known that the motion of the belly adjacent its connections to the sound post and to the bridge is reduced with respect to the remainder of the belly.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The broad purpose of the present invention is to provide an improved resonator in which a panel is supported adjacent the sound board or wall to influence the manner in which it responds to string motion. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the resonator panel has its ends supported adjacent the ends of the sound box of a violin such that the body of the panel is free to vibrate independently of the motion of the back and the belly. The panels side edges border a pair of connected, generally disc-shaped panel sections that form the panels body, and which are disposed on opposite sides of the sound post between the belly and the back.

It has been found that the preferred resonator improves the tonal quality of the violin because it resonates in response to the motion of the belly and thereby influences the resonance of the belly and the back. Preferably, one side of the panel has a series of parallel grooves, and its opposite side has a row of hemispherical cavities between each pair of grooves to improve the panels sensitivity to the bellys motion. In addition to providing a greater unity of motion between the back and the belly, the preferred resonator panel influences the motion of the air within the sound box to provide more powerful tones.

Still further objects and advantages of the invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains upon reference to the following detailed description.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING The description refers to the accompanying drawing in which like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the several views, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a violin having a sound box illustrating the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the sound box of FIG. 1 with the belly removed to show one side of the resonator panel;

FIG. 3 is a view of the resonator panel removed from the sound box to show the side opposite that shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the preferred sound box; and

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view of the resonator panel to show a typical cross section of the grooves and the cavities.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the drawing, a violin 10, as an example of one preferred musical instrument, is shown in FIG. 1. The violin has a frame 12 which includes a neck 14 for supporting a finger board 16, and a sound box 18. The sound box 18 is formed of a belly 20 and a back 22 which are joined together about their borders by a side wall 24. A bridge 26 is centrally mounted on the belly 20; and strings 28, which are connected at one end to the tail of the violin and at their other end to the arm 14, are supported by the bridge 26 such that when vibrated, the belly 20 resonates in accordance with string motion.

A sound post 30 is mounted in the sound box with its ends connected to the belly 20 and the back 22 in such a manner that the back resonates with the belly.

An elongated, substantially flat resonator panel 32 is mounted in the sound box between the belly 20 and the back 22. A block 34, mounted on the side wall 24 adjacent the arm 14, provides a supporting socket for engaging one end of the panel 32, and a block 36, mounted adjacent the tail of the violin, provides a supporting socket for engaging the other end of the panel. A button 38, which is threaded into the block 36, provides means for locking the panel 32 in position.

As best illustrated in FIG. 2, the body of the panel 32 is bordered by side edges 40 and 41, and is supported by blocks 34 and 36 so as to be free for motion independent of the motion of the sound post 30, the belly 20 and the back 22. The panel side edges 40 and 41 define a pair of disc-like panel sections 42 and 44 which are connected together by a rib 46. Each of the panel sections 42 and 44 has a generally circular configuration, however, the panel 44 has a slightly greater diameter than the panel 42.

The panel 32 is preferably formed of wood with the grain running parallel to its longitudinal axis, however, it could be formed of a pair of connected metal discs. The side of the panel 32 facing the belly 20 is formed with a plurality of grooves 48 in a parallel series that extends between the side edges 40 and 41. As best shown in FIG. 5, each groove has a semi-circular cross section. The grooves 48 are formed on both sides of rib 46. The opposite side of the panel 32 has a row of regularly spaced hemispherical cavities 50 between each pair of grooves 48.

The delicate structure of the panel 32 created by the grooves 48 and cavities 50 makes it very responsive to the lightest resonant motions of the belly and the back. The location of the two panel sections 42 and 44 on opposite sides of the sound post 30 improves the tonal properties of this stringed instrument by improving the unity of motion between the back and the belly. In addition, the preferred resonator panel 32 increases the motion of the air in the sound box and through sound holes 52 in the belly to improve the musical tones of violin 10.

While it has been preferred to describe my invention for use with a violin it is apparent that it can be used with other stringed musical instruments as well.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. In a musical instrument, the combination comprising:

a closed side frame;

string means mounted on the frame to sound;

a bridge connected to the string means;

a top resonator wall supporting the bridge, and being mounted on the frame for a resonant motion in response to string motion;

a bottom wall mounted on the frame;

support means mounted on and within the frame between the top and bottom walls;

an elongated resonator panel having a body, which includes a pair of side edges and ends engaged with said support means such that said body is movable with respect to said wall, the body being formed to resonate in response to the resonant motion of said wall;

and a sound post extending between the top and bottom walls, alongside said panel.

2. The combination as defined in claim 1, in which said side edges border a pair of similarly shaped panel sections.

3. The combination as defined in claim 1, in which said side edges form a generally circular border about a portion of the body of said panel.

provide a source of 4. The combination as defined in claim 1, in which the body of said panel has a plurality of grooves which extend in a parallel series between said side edges.

5. The combination as defined in claim 1, in which the body of said panel has a plurality of similarly shaped cavities.

6. In a musical instrument, the combination comprising:

a sound box having first and second walls spaced with respect to one another;

string means mounted adjacent the sound box to provide a source of sound;

a bridge connected to the string means, and mounted on said first wall for a resonant motion in response to string motion;

a sound post connecting the first wall to the second wall such that the second wall is moved in response to string motion;

support means mounted in the sound box; and

a pair of resonator panels disposed in the sound box on opposite sides of said sound post, and engaged with said support means for a motion which is in response to the resonant motion of said first wall.

7. The combination as defined in claim 6, in which each of said panels has a side edge that is movable with respect to the sound box.

8. The combination as defined in claim 6, including structure joining the two panels together.

9. The combination as defined in claim 6, in which each of said panels has a side edge engaged with said support means, and an opposite side edge joined to the other panel.

10. The combination as defined in claim 6, in which said pair of panels have a similar configuration, and one of the panels has a greater diameter than the other panel. 

1. In a musical instrument, the combination comprising: a closed side frame; string means mounted on the frame to provide a source of sound; a bridge connected to the string means; a top resonator wall supporting the bridge, and being mounted on the frame for a resonant motion in response to string motion; a bottom wall mounted on the frame; support means mounted on and within the frame between the top and bottom walls; an elongated resonator panel having a body, which includes a pair of side edges and ends engaged with said support means such that said body is movable with respect to said wall, the body being formed to resonate in response to the reSonant motion of said wall; and a sound post extending between the top and bottom walls, alongside said panel.
 2. The combination as defined in claim 1, in which said side edges border a pair of similarly shaped panel sections.
 3. The combination as defined in claim 1, in which said side edges form a generally circular border about a portion of the body of said panel.
 4. The combination as defined in claim 1, in which the body of said panel has a plurality of grooves which extend in a parallel series between said side edges.
 5. The combination as defined in claim 1, in which the body of said panel has a plurality of similarly shaped cavities.
 6. In a musical instrument, the combination comprising: a sound box having first and second walls spaced with respect to one another; string means mounted adjacent the sound box to provide a source of sound; a bridge connected to the string means, and mounted on said first wall for a resonant motion in response to string motion; a sound post connecting the first wall to the second wall such that the second wall is moved in response to string motion; support means mounted in the sound box; and a pair of resonator panels disposed in the sound box on opposite sides of said sound post, and engaged with said support means for a motion which is in response to the resonant motion of said first wall.
 7. The combination as defined in claim 6, in which each of said panels has a side edge that is movable with respect to the sound box.
 8. The combination as defined in claim 6, including structure joining the two panels together.
 9. The combination as defined in claim 6, in which each of said panels has a side edge engaged with said support means, and an opposite side edge joined to the other panel.
 10. The combination as defined in claim 6, in which said pair of panels have a similar configuration, and one of the panels has a greater diameter than the other panel. 